Mesa Council unanimously approves photo-enforcement contract after public debate over safety and due process

The Mesa City Council on May 12 approved a contract to continue and upgrade the city’s photo-enforcement program for red-light intersections and school zones, voting 6-0 after public comment and extended council discussion.

The program currently covers 16 intersections and six active school zones; city staff said the contract will replace outdated equipment and support an expansion to 20 intersections and to nine school zones in coming months. Councilmember Jennifer Pillsbury moved approval; Vice Mayor Summers seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.

The issue drew three public speakers and extended questioning from council. Linda Patrick Hayes, a resident, told the council she was “here to speak in opposition to the photo enforcement” and described being startled “one night quite late” when camera lights flashed, saying the flashes “scared the living daylights out of me” and raising safety and constitutional concerns about automated citations.

David Winstanley, chair of the Transportation Advisory Board, urged the council to approve the cameras. “I am speaking in favor of red lights,” Winstanley said, citing a Safe Streets planning document he said…